Ravi Shankar Prasad to CSCs: Will find way out on Aadhaar work issue

The government will look into common service centres’ (CSCs) appeal that they be allowed to carry out Aadhaar-related work such as enrolment and updating services, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Tuesday.
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“I can only tell you that IT Secretary and I will together look for some way out on Aadhaar…We will certainly do something…so that you all continue to be connected with the public, training, Aadhaar security, Aadhaar updating…,” Prasad said addressing Village Level Entrepreneurs at an event here.

Prasad said some discussions are taking place over the matter but did not disclose any details.

Village-level Entrepreneurs or VLEs, who run CSCs, have been asking the government to allow them to restart Aadhaar enrolment and updating services, after the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) stopped Aadhaar work through such centres nearly a year back.

The VLEs have been unhappy with the decision, contending that they had invested money in purchasing equipment and in training manpower for Aadhaar-related work.

Making a strong pitch on behalf of these centres, CSC Chief Dinesh Tyagi said that Aadhaar had helped people in rural India get an identity, and that the 12 digit identifier should be allowed to remain the ‘aadhaar’ or foundation for CSCs as well.

“Aadhaar should remain the basis for CSCs and help people in rural India to get an identity. If CSCs can do anything on Aadhaar, update or enrolment, they will do a good job…When we are providing other services for the masses, then CSCs can also do Aadhaar-related work,” Tyagi said.

CSCs act as access points for the delivery of digital services and there are nearly three lakh such centres operating across the country today.

Apart from delivering essential government and public utility services, CSCs also deliver a range of social welfare schemes, financial services, education and skill development courses, healthcare, agriculture services and digital literacy.

Story highlights

Making a strong pitch on behalf of common service centres, CSC Chief Dinesh Tyagi said that Aadhaar had helped people in rural India get an identity, and that the 12 digit identifier should be allowed to remain the 'aadhaar' or foundation for CSCs as well.